I’ve been in Austin for 11 years today! I really love this town and I love all the work I’ve been able to do for countless small businesses in this community. A lot of them I only became a patron of after I started working with them. Sometimes, they didn’t exist prior to our work together, or I didn’t know of them or their product. But when Ladyboss Jennifer McCamish cold-called me needing graphic design, and started describing her fitness studio, I already knew all about it. I’d been in a class there that same morning. I love love love Dancers Shape. It makes me almost believe that I too could have a dancer’s body if I just do enough butt lifts. All of the instructors are dancers, and the studio is welcoming and full of music and positive energy.

Originally, Jennifer just wanted a slight tweaking of her original logo just to add their new offering – spin classes – in advance of the opening of their new second location. I advocated for a complete re-brand. Knowing her studio the way I did, I made the case for a new look that represented something more modern, lighter, more fun, more dynamic. She was opening a second studio six years after the original opened, these publicity opportunities don’t come around every day. Thankfully, I convinced her, and the result is a dramatic refresh, full of color and versatility. It’s so much fun. I took my cues from how the signage for the original studio looks lit up a night. I took those neon colors and softened them a bit, but the result is very endless summer, hopefully inspiring those in search of that bikini body to come in for a class.

Jennifer was already in the process of updating the company website, so I also consulted on the project, designing the new look and feel that her team development implemented.

Being in the design field, you have to accept that the work you do is mostly ephemeral. Websites get updated, products disappear from the market, businesses close up shop and your work disappears with them. It’s a part of the job you have to accept, although it always hurts a little. So you have to understand that for me, this job is one of the most thrilling projects I’ve ever had the good fortune to be a part of. The South Terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opened to passengers last Thursday, and I was there for it, grinning like an idiot, over the moon to see my work not only displayed but integrated throughout what I hope will remain a fixture of Austin’s infrastructure for decades to come.

I never expected to get this job. I was asked to submit a proposal, but I knew I was bidding against much bigger agencies, many out of NYC, and while I assumed it was a lost cause, I wanted it so badly that I put a lot of time into the proposal, describing an aesthetic for the look and feel that hearkened back to mid-century design and the golden age of travel. Little did I know that that was already the look and feel for the renovation. The South Terminal at ABIA is very small. It’s designed so that you exit the gate and walk out on the tarmac to board your flight. It’s very Mad Men, or Catch Me if You Can. And that’s exactly what I described in my proposal. A lucky case of kismet to be sure, because it landed me the job. And after that, it really was a breeze as projects go. Rarely are you so in sync with a client from the get go. In this case, even before the get go. And now that’s ended, I can’t wait to visit again, but this time as a passenger, for years and years to come.

For the second year in a row, I have had the honor of working with Arts + Labor and Austin Film Society to art-direct the Texas Film Awards. This is the biggest night of the year for Austin film. The gala raises funds that are used for Austin Film Society’s filmmaking grants, programming, and educational efforts for the next year. The ceremony also inducts industry icons into the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

On a personal level, this is my favorite job of the year. I feel very grateful that sometimes my work in film and design overlaps. This is the biggest example of that happening. At last year’s event, Carol Burnett was inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame, and seeing her on the red carpet next to the logo I designed was one of the all time high points of my career.

The theme this year references pre-war cinema: Anti-Heroes,
Femme Fatales, Futurist constructions, The Dream of Cinema. It’s a special year in that AFS is opening a two-screen art house cinema in 2017. This was announced from the stage last year by Richard Linklater during the awards, and now it’s happening. There is a really cool fundraising campaign to fund the Best Little Arthouse in Texas. Give if you can. You could get free popcorn for a year!

Since my friend and photographer ladyboss, Lauren Reynolds Logan, was there too, I couldn’t help but ask to get a pic myself on the red carpet. It was all I could do to not grin like a maniac. I hope I’ll see you there this year. The honorees have just been announced, and I am SO EXCITED.

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Purpose

This is the online showcase of the work and interests of Jennymarie Jemison, the owner and creative director of Five and Four. The work herein was created by Five and Four, which is Jennymarie and select collaborators. Favorite topics include work, life in Austin, film, and freelance success.